Refillable Gas Bottles Question + Help, Please

[deleted79651]

We're waiting on the Independent Engineer's Report before committing to our motorhome purchase [and we are first timers, soour knowledge + tuppence wouldn't buy us the proverbial penny bun ...].

On the assumption that the purchase proceeds, the Dealer will throw in a 6kg Gas bottle and then deliver the motorhome to us. It seems more sensible to buy refillable bottles, but would we have to have any alterations to the m/home beforehand? Or can we just buy 2 x 11kg Gasflo bottles or similar? All/any advice would be gratefully received [plus rough estimates of costs!]

Steve & Elaine

 

[Emmit]

That's big of him. A WHOLE 6kgs bottle???
Ask/Demand a larger bottle and insist it's Propane, not Butane. Reason for that is that you can use Propane all year in the UK. Butane is a no no in Winter as the liquid in the bottle has trouble turning into gas at +5 degs.

You'll also need a, Electric Hook Up cable, ask/demand one of those as well.

Remember, the sale hasn't gone through yet. The dealer can only smell the money until the sale is finalised.

 

[Al-Di]

can you fit 2 x 11kg bottles,??

 

[Cal54]

Hi marchie and welcome to Fun.
Firstly you need to identify exactly what size bottles you can fit in your MH. Personally I have one refillable and 1 exchange bottle (6kg) which works for me. Given that it appears lpg pumps are diminishing in the UK this suits me.
I agree you should also receive a hook up cable as part of any deal and possibly a water hose for filling the onboard tank - depends how much you like to negotiate!!
Good luck with it all.

 

[deleted79651]

can you fit 2 x 11kg bottles,??

Yes, according to the website information from the Dealer ... If the refillable systems are too complex, or involve driving halfway across the country to find a filling station, we can just buy a couple of 11kg bottles and smile bravely at the bill.

Steve & Elaine

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[Emmit]

As for refillable Gas bottles, there are several Companies selling them and the stuff that connects them to the outside of the van.

There is a wide variation in prices but, just like the stuff that is supplied in your house, they all do the same job. In other words, don't buy the first one you see. Have a look around. You may even be able to have a trip away and all paid for by the difference between buying the most expensive and less expensive brands.

Does the van have a spare wheel. Don't accept a can of sludge. You want a wheel and tyre. I could go on.

 

[deleted79651]

Hi marchie and welcome to Fun.
Firstly you need to identify exactly what size bottles you can fit in your MH. Personally I have one refillable and 1 exchange bottle (6kg) which works for me. Given that it appears lpg pumps are diminishing in the UK this suits me.
I agree you should also receive a hook up cable as part of any deal and possibly a water hose for filling the onboard tank - depends how much you like to negotiate!!
Good luck with it all.

Thanks very much, Cal. We've got 2 EHU cables from our caravan, but the water hose would be good! The Dealer has also thrown in a 180w Solar Panel + fitting, so I think we've done not too badly!

Steve & Elaine

 

[Mountain man]

Welcome from the Highlands of Scotland

 

[Alcemi]

Hi Steve & Elaine,
As you already know we have the same model and year of M/H as you are proposing to purchase and we had 2 x 11kg Gaslow bottles and all fittings by the dealer. No problems with this at all over the last 4.5 years, as stated elsewhere LPG starting to become scarce in some parts now, but still available if you look.

 

[Cal54]

marchie - solar is definitely worth having - the more the merrier, and eventually (if not already fitted) a 2nd leisure battery.! To be honest a lot of this is dependent on how you intend to use your MH - if using sites with EHU it is obviously less important, however if you fancy a bit of ‘wild’ then being energy self sufficient is essential.

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[deleted79651]

Hi Steve & Elaine,
As you already know we have the same model and year of M/H as you are proposing to purchase and we had 2 x 11kg Gaslow bottles and all fittings by the dealer. No problems with this at all over the last 4.5 years, as stated elsewhere LPG starting to become scarce in some parts now, but still available if you look.

Thanks very much [again!] Alcemi. We're trying to use the dead time of lockdown/waiting for the m/home to think about all of the things that we haven't a clue about and to gain some knowledge to avoid those 'mild tensions' that can arise when one pitches up on site and provides the afternoon cabaret for the assembled motorhome and caravan customers watching from behind the twitching curtains ...
Still trying to refine our estimated payload needs ...
But, are we downhearted? What a damn silly question; of course we are ... We do know that if we smile, things become worse more slowly

Steve & Elaine

 

[JockandRita]

marchie. Steve & Elaine, if you've got the opportunity to have 2 x 11s fitted, and you know that they will fit, then that would be the preferable route to go down. Whilst Shell are decommissioning their Autogas pumps, not everyone else is.
If we can, we top up before we come home, ready for the next outing, but we don't go less than 1 x full cylinder at any time.

Have a look at this link for Autogas outlets in the UK alone. Across Western Europe, they are more frequent.

MyLPG.EU. (scroll down to the map, then click on it).

Cheers,

Jock.

 

[Wizz]

We were advised that a good system, and quite logical one, would be to have an 11kg re-fillable gas system fitted, (we got Gaslow), along with a 6kg propane bottle as a backup, alternative system, incase unable to
re-fill gas system any time.

 

[Gellyneck]

We're not huge gas users so went down the road of getting a 10kg Safefill refillable bottle backed up with a 6Kg Calor Lite (remember them!) if required.

Safefill | Safe and easy to refill LPG Gas Cylinders

Safefill LPG Gas

www.safefill.co.uk

 

[Dorset Diver]

It's quite difficult to find stations to fill refillable cylinders as fewer and fewer places are selling LPG. I would go for one refillable so that you can benefit from the much cheaper gas when you can find it, and have a fitting installed so that when push comes to shove you can use an expensive exchangeable cylinder.

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[MITHRANDIR]

I have 2 11kg gasit bottles fitted, they cost round me about £20 to fill from empty, for comparison,
as others have said depends how you use your van, the only thing i would add is buy things as you need them, saves wasted purchases buying things you think you need when you don't, if you get my drift.
Exciting times being "new" to it all.

 

[deleted79651]

marchie. Steve & Elaine, if you've got the opportunity to have 2 x 11s fitted, and you know that they will fit, then that would be the preferable route to go down. Whilst Shell are decommissioning their Autogas pumps, not everyone else is.
If we can, we top up before we come home, ready for the next outing, but we don't go less than 1 x full cylinder at any time.

Have a look at this link for Autogas outlets in the UK alone. Across Western Europe, they are more frequent.

MyLPG.EU. (scroll down to the map, then click on it).

Cheers,

Jock.

Thanks, Jock & Rita. It's probably safer for us to stick with the propane bottles and to wait until the m/home is delivered to buy them locally. Don't want to start the new adventure by hacking lumps of the gas cupboard or cracking fittings etc if 11Kg bottles don't quite fit, even if the Manual says they 'should fit'!

Steve & Elaine

 

[Gaston aires]

This might help. If you intend to travel during the cold months, winter etc, or extensive European travels, then it’s worth having re fillable gas. If just for warmer weather usage I would just go with 1 x 11 kg and 1 x 6 kg propane. Try it and see first. I’m sure your dealer will agree to this demand. It’s the heating that uses by far the most gas.
Phil

 

[deleted79651]

This might help. If you intend to travel during the cold months, winter etc, or extensive European travels, then it’s worth having re fillable gas. If just for warmer weather usage I would just go with 1 x 11 kg and 1 x 6 kg propane. Try it and see first. I’m sure your dealer will agree to this demand. It’s the heating that uses by far the most gas.
Phil

Thanks, Phil. Winter travel will be to Spain, post COVID, and we left a pretty much full Spanish gas bottle of propane at our hovel in France in late February 2020, in the naive expectation that we would be back last Summer for a French holiday break! Just goes to show how wrong I can be!

But a 6kg + 11kg combination may be more convenient combination, and also help with payload, which is probably going to be a wee bit neat [waiting for the weighbridge figures + Engineer's Report before the purchase order moves from conditional to confirmed].

Steve & Elaine

 

[Stealaway]

I would recommend Safefill bottles that can be filled at the Morrisons in Kirkcaldy or Dundee or Alloa. Also at a few other sites around you. See LPG station in Fife.
Very light so they wont eat into much of your payload.

Check the gas cabinet for maximum sizes

Safefill | Safe and easy to refill LPG Gas Cylinders

Safefill LPG Gas

www.safefill.co.uk

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[pandas]

Hi Steve & Elaine,
As you already know we have the same model and year of M/H as you are proposing to purchase and we had 2 x 11kg Gaslow bottles and all fittings by the dealer. No problems with this at all over the last 4.5 years, as stated elsewhere LPG starting to become scarce in some parts now, but still available if you look.

We have 2 x 11kg Gaslow refillable bottles and gives us peace of mind when camping in the winter. Refillable for us is the way to go particularly when touring Europe as you just need a set of European connectors (£40?) and all sorted no having to make sure you have the correct bottle to exchange. Cannot remember what our consumption of gas is but might worth asking the question on this post as loads will have the answer related to their own usage. From what I remember In the spring summer away for 8 weeks in Europe we would only use about £4.00 worth. In the winter in the uk we would use 11kg in 10 days and thats with also having electrical hook up. Our unit has gas only hobs, and the heating required a mix of both gas and electric when really cold.

 

[deleted79651]

We have 2 x 11kg Gaslow refillable bottles and gives us peace of mind when camping in the winter. Refillable for us is the way to go particularly when touring Europe as you just need a set of European connectors (£40?) and all sorted no having to make sure you have the correct bottle to exchange. Cannot remember what our consumption of gas is but might worth asking the question on this post as loads will have the answer related to their own usage. From what I remember In the spring summer away for 8 weeks in Europe we would only use about £4.00 worth. In the winter in the uk we would use 11kg in 10 days and thats with also having electrical hook up. Our unit has gas only hobs, and the heating required a mix of both gas and electric when really cold.

Thanks, Panda. We spent 8 weeks in Spain [late Nov to mid Jan 2019] in our [not well insulated] Folding Caravan in rather cool night temperatures, but with both EHU and a 400w Halogen Heater keeping the worst of the chill at bay. The fridge gave up the ghost on mains electric and it took us about 3 weeks running on gas before we could get repairs made, but we went through about 8kg of an 11kg Spanish Propane bottle and exchanged it for a replacement just before crossing back into France. We also used 2 x 907 Camping Gaz cylinders [2 x 2.2kg?] until we got the first Spanish bottle, so an overall 12kg gas total for the trip. Not too bad a cost, and more respectable than this 1/4's domestic energy bill for our Flat that faces the Firth of Forth and leaks like a sieve. £207.36 for gas and electricity, all this COVID handwashing!

Steve & Elaine

 

[monzer]

Just something to throw in to the mix.... If you do decide to try for a refillable system consider haggling for a level monitoring kit.

I have 2 gaslow cyclinders with their 'wave' bluetooth kit. It plugs in to the valves on the bottle and it sends the info to your phone via bluetooth so you know how much gas is left.

 

[deleted79651]

I have 2 11kg gasit bottles fitted, they cost round me about £20 to fill from empty, for comparison,
as others have said depends how you use your van, the only thing i would add is buy things as you need them, saves wasted purchases buying things you think you need when you don't, if you get my drift.
Exciting times being "new" to it all.

Thanks Mithrandir [I used to study at Mithras House!}. Payload is going to be a real Titus A Duxass job, so the 'shiny kit syndrome' purchases will be banned! But the excitement is beginning to build, aided by the extra daylight, the start of Spring, and the need to breakout! We'll settle happily for a 3.5 mile drive each way to Silver Sands at Aberdour and to making a fresh coffee to sip whilst watching the raw wind whip up the white tops on the Forth. Not asking too much!

Steve & Elaine

 

[MITHRANDIR]

enjoy, i'm sure you will

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[BertieBones]

I'd personally go for this https://www.gasit.co.uk/1-gas-it-mo...tle-level-ind-kit-compatible-with-gaslow.html

 

[deleted79651]

I'd personally go for this https://www.gasit.co.uk/1-gas-it-mo...tle-level-ind-kit-compatible-with-gaslow.html

Thanks, Bertie. Not too worried about the cost, it's what cretin cards [old banking term to describe customers who borrowed long term on the plastic] were made for; my questions are a] is there a lot of work to have the kit installed?; and b] If there are fewer refill stations in UK, is there a single bottle kit so that we could have a Propane LPG free standing bottle for standby?

Thanks again

Steve & Elaine

 

[Wizz]

My recent installation cost was appx £100
Kit appx £100
11Kg LPG Bottle £160
Fill £15
Non LPG Propane 6Kg (backup) bottle I already had, (So will you I gather ).

 

[monzer]

Thanks, Bertie. Not too worried about the cost, it's what cretin cards [old banking term to describe customers who borrowed long term on the plastic] were made for; my questions are a] is there a lot of work to have the kit installed?; and b] If there are fewer refill stations in UK, is there a single bottle kit so that we could have a Propane LPG free standing bottle for standby?

Thanks again

Steve & Elaine

For point b] I'd say you should download the fillLPG app and then you can see how many places are around you and places you reckon you may visit. I'd bet there are a lot more than you would think.

 

[JockandRita]

If there are fewer refill stations in UK,

But it's not at the stage where you won't be able to refill. You just need to plan top ups better whilst en route.

It's only because we've not had a fair chance to properly evaluate the twin 11Kg Gaslows which we have inherited, that we've not had a bulk tank fitted yet. If I thought the lower number of Autogas outlets were significant enough to make a difference, I wouldn't be prepared to shell out for the installation.

Cheers,

Jock.

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